A New Gathering Place For Tulsa

On this edition of StudioTulsa, we speak with Jeff Stava, a senior program officer for the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the project manager for the new, privately-funded, still-in-development public park known as A Gathering Place for Tulsa. The final design plans for the Riverside-based park (to be created on the site of the Blair Mansion) were announced Tuesday the 18th. Internationally known landscape architect Michael van Valkenburgh's design will include a lodge, a children's adventure playground, a two-acre pond with a boathouse, a skate park, gardens, and two 300-foot land bridges over Riverside Drive, which will connect the new park with the existing River Parks trail. In addition, an extension to the existing pedestrian bridge over the Arkansas River will allow for greater foot and bike travel between the east and west banks of the river. Stava speaks about the impact of the park --- on the city's economy as well as its quality of life.